From the region

Monday

Mar 30, 2009 at 6:00 AM

SHREWSBURY — Massachusetts Highway Department has begun improvements to Route 140, from the town center south to the Route 9 overpass. Sidewalks are being installed or improved on both sides of the road.

J.H. Lynch Inc. of Millbury was awarded the contract to perform the work. Trees have been cleared in the right-of-way and excavation of the slopes has begun near the Route 9 overpass.

Motorists can expect five- to 10-minute delays during periods of the construction. There will be times when only one lane will be open for traffic.

Replacement of the culvert between Woodland Road and Old Brook Road will require that the road be closed during the construction period of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Traffic will be rerouted during this phase of construction.

This work will be done in the summer so that school transportation is not affected.

The town provides periodic updates on the construction on its Web site, www.shrewsbury-ma.gov.

Questions about the construction should go to Jack Perreault, town engineer, at (508) 841-8502, or Michael Hale, assistant town manager, at (508) 841-8508.

DANIELSON — A 31-year-old Southbridge man was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for his involvement in the November 2006 shooting of a Webster man who was waiting in line at a Wal-Mart store in Putnam to buy a PlayStation 3.

Judge Antonio C. Robaina gave Armando I. Guzman, who was not the shooter, two fewer years on his sentence than two co-defendants.

Mr. Guzman will be placed on special parole for eight years after the prison term.

Mark A. Stabile, supervisory assistant state’s attorney, had asked for Mr. Guzman to serve 12 years with eight years of special parole.

Mr. Guzman, who had been held on $1 million bond since his Dec. 1, 2006, arraignment, was convicted of robbery and assault, both in the first degree, in Danielson Superior Court.

William J. Robertson, 22, of Woodstock, was sentenced Dec. 5 in Superior Court to 12 years in prison and 10 years of special parole.

Andrew W. Patnaude, 20, received the same sentence in November.

Mr. Stabile said Mr. Robertson and Mr. Patnaude identified each other as the shooter.

“They all got substantial jail terms, which is appropriate for the conflict they engaged in,” the prosecutor said in an interview.

On Nov. 17, 2006, Michael Penkala, 24, of Webster, was shot while waiting in line overnight to buy a PlayStation 3 gaming unit.

He was at Wal-Mart on Route 44, waiting with about 20 people to buy the gaming console.

He was shot in the chest and beaten in the face during the attack, after refusing to give up $2,600 in cash, state police said.

Police on March 22 found graffiti painted in several spots on the outside of the building.

Police said the graffiti included personal logos painted above the main entrance and on the rear of the building, a black and gold crown (often associated with the Latin Kings gang) on the rear door, and similar damage in the loading dock area.

The graffiti were removed immediately at a cost of $3,500, according to the school district.

Police said no arrests have been made.

Crime Stoppers is a nonprofit organization that encourages the community to help local law enforcement and provides a way to report crimes anonymously.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to file a report through the Crime Stoppers Web site, www.leominstercrimestoppers.com, or by sending a text message to 274637 and typing “TIPS654” with the message.

He will graduate from Burncoat Senior High School in March and plans to enter Fitchburg State College in the fall.

He was a senior patrol leader in Troop 54, which is sponsored by Immaculate Conception Church, 353 Grove St.

His service project was renovating the Sunday school area, a hallway, and the priest’s office at his church, St. Mary’s Assumption Albanian Orthodox Church, 535 Salisbury St., Worcester. He and 17 volunteers filled in holes and cracks, and repainted the walls. They used five gallons of paint, brushes, rollers, ladders, Spackle, sandpaper, hammers and nails. They also hung 12 pictures in a hallway..

The project benefited Sunday school students and helped create a cleaner environment.

HOLDEN — Voters at the special town meeting tomorrow will have the opportunity to put much-needed water and sewer repairs on the docket for federal stimulus money.

If they are approved, the town will be able to borrow the $2.8 million for the work interest-free, saving more than $500,000 over the 20-year life of the loan.

The article includes seven projects, including the replacement of the Mayflower Circle water main and the refurbishing of the Chapin Road and Highland Street water tanks, a new pump for the Morgan Circle booster station, an upgrade of a pressure-reducing valve at the Chapin booster station and a portable generator at the Brattle Street interconnection with Worcester.

Voters will also be asked to borrow $3.6 million for up to two years to cover cleanup costs from the ice storm that are expected to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Other articles include a request to borrow money to remodel town buildings and construct sidewalks, and a reduction in the budget to reflect the reductions in state aid made by Gov. Deval L. Patrick.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Wachusett Regional High School auditorium.

SHREWSBURY — A public meeting will be held tomorrow on a proposed $137 million project to rehabilitate the Route 9 bridge over Lake Quinsigamond.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of Oak Middle School, 45 Oak St.

Adam L. Hurtubise, spokesman for the state Highway Department, said construction is slated for 2011.

The project is one of the signature parts of the Patrick administration’s eight-year accelerated bridge program. During that period, the number of structurally deficient bridges will be reduced from approximately 700 to 450, Mr. Hurtubise said.

“It’s a very big project. It’s very important for Shrewsbury and Worcester and surrounding areas,” he said.

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